Tour du Mont Blanc route conditions

Nothing is predictable here, after a bizzare 6 months of weather anything goes.

After a bumper winter of snow (December & January), freezing Febuary with the coldest temperatures in Chamomix for decades, the summer temperatures of March (25 degs) & since then a mixture of sun, rain, high winds & more snow it's going to be an interesting start to the season.

So our first trek starts on the 24th June & what are the conditions like?

Challenging! Would be one word to describe the situation.

The Chamonix valley section is pretty free of snow up to 2300m although lac Blanc is still under a blanket of snow. The main problem us the amount of trees blocking the routes between the valley & the middle mountain after the severe Foehn wind damage sustained a month ago.

Les Houches to Les Contamines via Col du Tricot, snow on the way up to the Col but no problems, no snow on the south side.

Contamines to Chapieux via the Col du Bonhomme, lots of snow on route making the ascent slow. The traverse from Col de Bonhomme to Col de la Croix de Bonhomme difficult, great care needs to be taken here to avoid slipping and sliding on to the rocks below.

Chapieux to Courmayeur via the Col de Seigne, snow above 2200m & in shaded north facing slopes. Care needs to be taken when traversing across steep ground.

Second half of the TMB (Courmayeur to Chamonix) recced next week.

If you require any more detailed information contact: info@montblanctreks.com or via www.montblanctreks.com

http://www.montblanctreks.com

Looking forward to the trekking season

http://www.montblanctreks.com

Although the winter is far from finished here in the Chamonix valley and snow over the past two weeks has crept back down to 1500 meters summer is very much on the forefront of our minds.

Both guided & self-guided Tour du Mont Blanc & Walkers Haute Route so far has been equally as popular from end of June to mid September. Self-guided has proved popular where independent groups want the freedom to got at a time to suit and to tailor a route and timescale to suit their needs.

Accommodation has so far proved a challenge in particular on the Tour du Mont Blanc where accommodation options are at a minimum. Hotel Mont Joly in Contamines is not operating this summer which has put an extra load on the other hotels resulting in limited spaces at busy times. Auberge de la Nova in Chapieux always poses a problem, as it is the only accommodation available in the village so becomes fully booked very quickly from June through to the end of the trekking season. When that is the case we opt for alternative route over the Col du Fours, resting at Refuge Les Mottets.

So we are looking forward to the first multi day trek of the season Tour du Mont Blanc on June 23rd, lets hope we get some warm weather before then to clear the snow away from the cols & high level traverses.

Until then we continue with the office work in organising logistics and sorting accommodation. 

Have a look at what Mont Blanc Treks has to offer this summer at www.montblanctreks.com

The season that was...

As the snowshoeing season comes to a close & the snow retreats upwards and onwards it's time to reflect on this seasons snowshoeing here in the French Alps.

A good season? Well we have had it all... The season started with bang! After a long & dry Autumn the Chamonix Valley was snowless until the last minute. Mid December saw a massive amount of snow which continued right through January. Record snowfall overnight brought the valley to a standstill one Saturday morning as we tried to clear 1 meter of fresh snow from the valley floor.

February brought another wintery facet with temperatures as low as -23 and the lowest Chamonix had seen for many years. The cold spell continued through February barely rising above -15 for 3 weeks.

And then a rapid rise from the dearest of winter to temperatures to +19 rising 40 degrees in two weeks for the start of March. It felt more like summer than spring!

4 weeks of high temperatures, sun & clear blue skies stripped the valley of snow and made skiing a knee breaking experience.

And what now, well just when you were getting used to the warm & dry conditions we have been given a stark reminder that its not over yet with more snow and rain at valley level.

The unsettled weather is set to continue for the time being so in the meantime we will wait for the next chapter of life in the valley.

Snowshoe weekend in training

What do you do in the winter when you don't ski?

What do you do when you need to keep up the up hill training on snow in preparation for a summer of challenges , Mont Blanc, Matterhorn to name but a few.

You book a weekend of snowshoeing in and around the Mont Blanc massif.

This is what happend when three ladies from London needed to get some mountain fitness training in winter conditions in preparation for there summer hight mountain challenges.

First time on snowshoes for all three of them & considering they all live in the city a seriously good level of fitness.

Day 1 Saturday: Servoz to Chalets d'Ayeres which gave a good deal of ascent with stunning views throughout.

Day 2 Sunday: Italian Val Ferret & the Refuge Bonatti at 2025 m. Cold & windy conditions but clear & sunny gave amazing views of the Mont Blanc massif from the Italian side.

A great weekend ladies (Nicole, Bernie & Katerina you were a please to trek with for the weekend.

Mont Blanc Treks: Whats hot and whats not this week

What's hot: The warm Foehn wind blowing through the Val Ferret yesterday making things feel positively spring like.

What's not: Price & temperature of a vaguely warm hot chocolate on the mountain at Les Houches, 5 euros, you are having a laugh!

Whats hot, whats not this week in the Chamonix Valley

What's hot: lots of interest in the Walkers Haute Route trek from Chamonix to Zermatt. 190 kms, 9,000 mtrs of height gain, 14 high mountain cols, 2 countries. This is the ultimate tough long distance trek and is fast becoming as popular than it's nearby rival the Tour du Mont Blanc.

What's not: Chamonix has see its lowest winter temperatures for many years. Dropping to a cool -23 and staying at a constant -15 for the past 10 days. It's played havoc with car drivers with the wrong type of fuel that will not cope with such low temperatures.

Snowshoe trek of the week or the century?

Snowshoe trek of the week has to go to the traverse of the Brevent to the Aiguillette des Houches. After the ridiculous amount of snow that fell last weekend it was tough going at the start of the week breaking trail though 1m of new snow that fallen during Friday night to Saturday morning.

More snow & low cloud meant that we had to choose routes that were more protected from the elements. Thursday looked good so on the request of the clients Martyn & Annette we decided on a trip up the Brevent. We were not disappointed and in true Chamonix style we were treated to a visual delight with 360•'s of absolutely stunning views.

We took the Plan Praz lift from Chamonix centre and then to the top of the Brevent at 2525 mtrs from here we ducked underneath the rope and headed steeply down at first before traversing along the ridge to the Col du Bel Lachat. A steady climb took us back up to 2300 mtrs and the summit of the Aiguillette des Houches with stunning views to the Aiguille Vert in the East, Mont Blanc to the south, chaine des Aravis & Megeve to the west and Rochers des Fiz and Mont Buet to the North. Returning via the same route, Wow I challenge anyone to find a more spectacular day out on snowshoes than this!

Find out more about Mont Blanc Treks snowshoe holidays at www.montblanctreks.com/winter